Floor One Hundred
The Twin Dragons Series: Requiem City
I woke to fleeting memories of strong arms, smoke with no flame, and the sense of flying. And even though I tried, I couldnât grasp hold of any of them to make a coherent thought.
~What ~happened~ last night?~
Despite the dryness of my mouth, I was unbelievably comfortable. My body writhed under the satin-silk sheets, and I couldnât help but smile at the warmth radiating onto my face from the window.
~Wait a secondâ¦~
I abruptly opened my eyes to find myself lying on a gigantic bed in a room I didnât recognize.
I hesitantly lifted the sheets to see that I was completely naked.
As I scanned the room for my clothes, I was blown away by how huge it was: giant bay window, floor-to-ceiling mirrors, and a wardrobe the size of my whole room at the residential center.
It was also stacked with loot that would make a pretty penny. Gold cufflinks that could be easily concealed, a green dragon statueâpossibly jadeâjust the right size to fit in the palm of my hand.
A search through the closet revealed designer suits and shoes. Hell, just taking one of the ties would set me up nicely for a while.
My fingers itched to pocket even just one thing. But as I still couldnât find my clothes, I had no pockets to conceal anything in.
If life was a romantic comedy, maybe this would have been a stroke of luck, but it wasnât, and I was the least lucky person I knew.
I wanted to get out of here as fast as fucking possible.
I returned to the bedroom and ripped the sheet off the bed, turning it into a makeshift toga.
I shuddered at the thought of someone I didnât know removing my clothes when I was too messed up to remember it.
I was one of the lucky ones whoâd managed to avoid using their body to get a leg up, but that didnât mean guys listened when you said âno.â I didnât feel like Iâd been violated, well, besides the act of removing my clothes.
I tiptoed to the bedroom door, trying to remember anything from the night before. Iâd walked into Club Emerald with Darren and that idiot, Dominic, to pull off his stupid heistârobbing the Dobrzyckas.
After that, things started to get fuzzy. There was music and dancing, andâ¦smoke?
There were also flashes of red liquid, and greenâ¦greenâ¦
~Green what?~
My memory was too hazy to make sense of anything, but I was almost certain that someone else was there tooâ¦
âLoch!â I shrieked as a hulking, half-naked man walked past the door in tight designer boxers.
âFinally awake.â He grinned nonchalantly. âIâm glad I didnât have to wake the sleeping street rat with a kiss.â
He continued down the hall, and I stomped after him, following him into the massive living room of what I now realized had to be the penthouse of Req Enterprise.
Floor to ceiling windows led to a rooftop balcony overlooking the mountains. The sight nearly made me gasp.
âNot used to seeing things from so high up?â a familiar voice asked, amused.
I whipped around to see Hael sipping coffee at the kitchen island.
At least he was fully clothed.
Which was more than I could say for myself when Iâd woken up this morning.
âOkay, which one of you undressed me last night?â I asked, angrily bouncing my gaze between the two brothers.
âThat would be neither of us,â Loch said. âYouâve yet to earn that honor.â
~Honor? This guy sure is arrogant.~
âYou vomited all over yourself like a gutter dweller,â Loch droned. âOur sister undressed you so we could have your clothes cleaned.â
~That meansâ¦~
As if on cue, Adara waltzed into the room, looking perfectly put together. Trailing behind her like a lovesick puppy wasâ¦
âDarren?â I said, surprised to see him here.
âHey, Maddie. Did you have a good night?â he asked in a weirdly earnest tone.
âHonestly, I donât remember it,â I replied, racking my brain for even just the tiniest recollection.
Adara gave Darren a slap on the ass and pointed him toward the elevator.
âTill next time, my pet,â she purred.
Damn these two had moved fast. I was surprised that Dominic would let Darren off like this.
Though, Darren certainly didnât seem like he was working Adara. If anything, she was working him.
Darren gave me a wink as the elevator doors closed, and I found myself alone in a room full of Dobrzyckas.
How did I keep ending up in this situation? Maybe it really was destiny.
âYou seem to be enjoying your pet,â Hael said to Adara. âI trust things are going according to plan?â
She chuckled. âWouldnât you like to know?â
Hael glared at his sister. âYes, I would like to know. Thatâs why Iâm asking.â
She glanced at me before returning her attention to her brother. âShould we be discussing this here?â Her tone was cool and definitely coded in subtext.
What was Darren doing here? And why did the Dobrzyckas seem to be okay with Domâs lackey in their penthouse?
âEnough of that,â Loch interrupted. âWe have more important matters to discuss. Like what we should do with the little thief.â
âYou two can do whatever the hell you want,â Adara said, flipping her purple hair to the side. âTo be honest, she bores me. I have much more interesting playmates.â
âWhich you still havenât filled me in about,â Hael commented in a bored tone.
Loch snorted. âShe doesnât have any new information for you brother, unless you want a detailed accounting of the two of them humping all night.â
Adaraâs pretty face contorted into a scary, pointed glare, and her nostrils flared. I couldâve sworn I saw smoke come out of them.
âI have to get to work,â she snarled. â~Someone~ has to run this company. Or have you forgotten weâre throwing a party tonight?â
Without sparing me a glance, Adara stormed out of the kitchen and disappeared into the elevator.
âYouâve gotten our sister into quite a huff.â Loch laughed, leaning over the counter and staring intently at me.
âWhat? Butâ¦I didnât say anything to herâ¦â
âYou were right, Loch. She really will provide us with entertainment,â Hael said, staring at me as well.
It was unsettling to have both pairs of their emerald eyes boring into me, butâ¦I also found myself enjoying the attention.
The longer they stared, the faster my heart beat. My breath came out in soft pants, and I felt a pulsing throb in my clit.
I was overwhelmed with the desire to drop the sheet wrapped around me and see what they would do.
Was this part of my âinternship?â They said I would be their entertainment, that I would do whatever they wanted.
Was this what they wanted?
Loch preened as I stared at him, unable to remove my eyes from his bare torso.
His bulging biceps.
His bulging pecs.
His bulging, uhâ¦
My face flushed red, and I shook it off.
What was I thinking?
Muscles and money didnât drown out the creepiness of calling me entertainment.
âLook, I still donât understand what you want with me,â I said, âbut Iâm not gonna be your dancing monkey.â
âI saw your dancing last night,â Loch responded, his eyes moving down my body seductively. âYou didnât have any problems dancing then.â
âSpeaking of last night, would you mind filling me in on exactly what happened?â I asked, crossing my arms. I was annoyed at myself for blushing at his blatant perusal of my body. And for the desire that flared in me as he did so.
Loch shot a knowing smirk to Hael, who returned it.
âI found you in a sloppy state, making a fool of yourself,â Loch said. âWe canât have our newest employee tarnishing our brand, so I brought you here.â
There was something cagey in the way he spoke, like he was hiding something.
And I know I went to the club with Dominic, so what happened to him?
âWhat about the guy that was with me? Did you see where he went?â I asked.
Loch licked his lips, giving me a devilish grin. âOh yes, I saw him. It was quite tragic, wasnât it, Hael?â
Hael nodded, though it looked like he was hiding something as well.
âHe died of an overdose,â Loch continued. âToo much overhead mixed with alcohol. A lethal combination for those with weakâ¦bodies. And he was very, very weak.â
âOh,â I said.
A numb feeling ran through me. With Dom gone, I was free of his meddling ways. But I wasnât naive enough to believe I would ever be truly free, not in the skeleton quarter. Someone would replace Dom soon enough.
âWas he a friend?â Loch asked, reaching out and touching my bare shoulder.
I jolted at his touch, electrified and terrified all at once.
âNot at all,â I replied with a shake of my head. âJust someone I knew for too long.â
With his hand still on my shoulder, Loch turned to stare at his brother. His eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared.
I took a step back, removing his hand from my bare skin. It was too much, feeling his skin on mine. It made me want things I knew I shouldnât. Not with them.
Hael must have sensed my discomfort, because he nodded toward the hallway Iâd come from earlier. âYour clothes should be ready. You should get dressed.â
I turned with a nod and went down the hall. I found my clothes neatly folded on a posh daybed in the corner of a fancy dressing room with amazing lighting.
This penthouse really had everything.
But what did two brothers need such an extravagant dressing room for?
âHello,â came a sugary voice from behind me.
I whipped around to see a woman with long blonde hair wearing incredibly see-through lingerie.
My eyes widened at the size of her breasts, and the curves of her hips, and the aura of sex coming off her.
~If the brothers can get someone who looks like her, what do they need me for?~
She smiled sweetly at me, and I hesitantly smiled back.
âDid you stay the night too? Or did they send for you this morning?â she asked as she started looking through the closet.
I quickly dropped my sheet while she was distracted and pulled my own dress over my head.
âI slept over, but not on purpose,â I replied a little sharply.
âThatâs funny,â she said, sounding like an airhead as she pulled a dress out of the closet and put it on. âI hope I didnât wake you. People tell me Iâm a moaner.â
~Who is this chick?~
âAre you a friend of Adaraâs?â
âOh, no, Iâve never met her.â She giggled. âI was with Loch and Hael last night.â
My body tensed up at the word ~with~.
âYouâ¦you slept with both of them? Like one after the other?â
âNo, silly, at the same time,â she said, primping in front of a mirror. âThey like to share.â
My mouth dropped open.
A heat suddenly radiated through my body, and I found myself wanting to tear that pretty blonde hair from her head.
Was Iâ¦
~Jealous?~
I stormed out of the dressing room, down the hallway, and into the main room, where Loch and Hael were still sauntering about.
Screw those two and their ~sharing~.
I felt both pairs of emerald eyes watching me as I pounded on the elevator button.
They really did view me as entertainment, only here for their amusement. I was filled with rage and trying not to let it show.
But as I got into the elevator, my eyes caught one last glimpse of them before the doors shut, and it wasnât rage I was feeling.
That was the moment I knew for sure that I wanted themâ¦
~Both~ of them.